NEWS AND OPINION:
Voters may not know it, but “psychographic profiling” has been deployed by some strategists in the presidential election, aimed at homing in on personality traits and crafting precise campaign messages to match.
The research is apt to reveal a jittery bunch. Psychology Today describes the election as so “emotionally charged that it could affect one’s immune system.” Reuters declared 2016 as “the year America went nuts,” while both psychologists and massage therapists report business is booming thanks to electoral angst among citizens torn between establishment candidates and outsider upstarts.
There’s something to all this. A new Fox News survey finds that 82 percent of registered voters say their “nervous about American politics today” — a sentiment shared equally by Republicans, Democrats and independents alike. Find more numbers in the Poll du Jour at column’s end.
The good news is that voter psychosis — this stage of it anyway — ends on election day, a mere 225 days from now.
’POLITICIANS NEED A LITTLE MORE GOD’
That is the sentiment from Bill Andrew, executive producer of “The Young Messiah,” a feature film currently in theaters chronicling Jesus Christ life as a 7-year-old child. In an intentional pushback against “gutter politics,” Mr. Andrew is offering a free screening of the movie to all 535 members of Congress to get his point across.
“Our politics is getting ugly and our country deserves better. It is part of the process to disagree, but the key is to express those disagreements in a civil manner. This Easter season I hope our leaders will take a breather and allow themselves to be inspired by Jesus Christ, and be reminded of the lessons he has for all of us, whether we are believers or not,” says Mr. Andrew, who has made the film available to be seen online or at a local theater.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is the first to take Mr. Andrew up on the offer. The California Republican will host his own special screening Easter weekend for the film, which chronicles the life of the youthful Jesus based on the Anne Rice novel “Christ our Lord: Out of Egypt”
CARLY REINVENTED
Former GOP presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina has repurposed her old presidential campaign for a new mission: “To help conservative outsiders win in November,” she explains. Her image has changed too. Gone are the patriotic colors of her presidential wardrobe, replaced by the muted shades of someone ready to get down to business.
“It’s about defeating the Washington establishment of both parties — and electing real conservative leaders from outside the political class, who will engage citizens around the nation and lead the charge to take our country back,” says Mrs. Fiorina, who endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz for president earlier this month.
“These citizen leaders have the commonsense solutions and the clear-headed perspective. Instead of being concerned with party politics, they will get the job done. Instead of taking away our rights, they will defend our Constitution,” she states. “I know about outsider candidates, because I’ve been one.”
SEE ALSO: Hillary Clinton’s secret email server timeline refuted by new documents
THOUGHTS FOR IRAQ VETS
Some continue to ponder the lasting aftermath of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jim Roberts, president of the nonprofit American Veterans Center, points out that all 11 of the living Medal of Honor recipients served in Afghanistan. The four Medals of Honor given to Iraq war veterans were awarded posthumously.
“We believe that this is an injustice to the 1.5 million veterans of Iraq. Eleven living veterans of combat in Afghanistan have received the Medals of Honor, despite the fact that the number of Afghan war veterans is less than half that of Iraq war veterans,” Mr. Roberts wrote in a letter to Department of Defense Secretary Ash Carter. “The Iraq War is the only war in almost 200 years to lack a living recipient of the Medal of Honor; this is a disservice not only to our veterans, but to our active soldiers and civilians.”
WEEKEND CANDIDATE TRACKER
After a week campaigning in Arizona, California, Washington and Wisconsin, public appearances for the five presidential hopefuls after Friday are rare indeed.
Sen. Bernard Sanders is up and about with a rally in Portland, Oregon, on Friday, and another in Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday. Among Republicans, Sen. Ted Cruz has a single event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on Friday, though his “Cruz Crew” will stage two independent rallies elsewhere in the state on Saturday. Front-runner Donald Trump, meanwhile, returns to the campaign Tuesday, with a jumbo rally scheduled in Janesville, Wisconsin. Gov. John Kasich also heads to the Badger State, arriving Monday essentially for the entire week.
WEEKEND REAL ESTATE
For sale: “Center Hall Masterpiece,” built in 1745 in Stratford, Connecticut. Four bedrooms, two baths, 3,153 square feet, completely updated but “harmoniously preserved and meticulously kept.” Nine-foot fireplace with “beehive ovens,” exposed beams and wide board hard pine floors, wainscoting, crown moldings, built-ins throughout; classic 12-over-12 windows. Dining room with Czech crystal chandelier, English Minton tile; sun room with stone floor. Detached barn, walking distance to Long Island Sound. Priced at $369,000 through House-CT.com. Enter B10111118 in search function.
POLL DU JOUR
• 82 percent of U.S. voters feel “nervous about American politics today”; 84 percent of Republicans, 82 percent of independents and 80 percent of Democrats agree.
• 74 percent overall are “extremely” or “very” interested in the 2016 presidential election; 80 percent of Republicans, 67 percent of independents and 76 percent of Democrats agree.
• 67 percent overall would be “satisfied” voting for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump; 63 percent of Republicans, 55 percent of independents and 79 percent of Democrats agree.
• 21 percent overall would seriously consider a third party candidate; 24 percent of Republicans, 30 percent of independents and 13 percent of Democrats agree.
• 9 percent don’t plan to cast a vote for president; 10 percent of Republicans, 13 percent of independents and 6 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: A Fox News poll of 1,016 registered U.S. voters conducted March 20-22.
• Have a pleasant and productive Easter and thank you for reading Inside the Beltway.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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